About this Research Topic
Lignocellulose is the only renewable carbon source that can help replace oil-based chemicals and materials, in the process fighting global warming. However, because of its chemical and structural complexity, lignocellulose transformation into advanced products requires a better understanding of its composition and of its architecture at different scales, as well as a combination of physical, biological, and chemical processes, in order to render this transformation efficient and economically competitive.
Tremendous efforts continue to be made toward the production of ethanol as a biofuel from various lignocellulosic feedstocks. Furthermore, recent successes have been achieved in extracting fibers to prepare composite materials that can compete with plastic fabrics.
Importantly, lignocellulose chemistry can bring to the market original and complex chemicals that can lead to new applications, in particular when exploiting aromatic molecules or oligosaccharides from lignocellulose to produce solvents, surfactants, plasticizers, functional additives for food/feed/cosmetics, drugs, monomers, and polymers. In addition to this broad range of molecular products, fibers and particles fractionated from the lignocellulosic biomass are increasingly used to elaborate bio-based composite materials.
Overall, this Research Topic aims to illustrate how complementary approaches are relevant to address questions regarding the deconstruction of lignocellulose and the processes required to turn them into valuable bio-based and renewable products. Articles are thus welcomed in the field of techniques investigating lignocellulose complexity, the different routes using chemical and/or physical processes to fractionate lignocellulose, as well as which chemicals and materials can be obtained from lignocellulose.
Tremendous efforts continue to be made toward the production of ethanol as a biofuel from various lignocellulosic feedstocks. Furthermore, recent successes have been achieved in extracting fibers to prepare composite materials that can compete with plastic fabrics.
Importantly, lignocellulose chemistry can bring to the market original and complex chemicals that can lead to new applications, in particular when exploiting aromatic molecules or oligosaccharides from lignocellulose to produce solvents, surfactants, plasticizers, functional additives for food/feed/cosmetics, drugs, monomers, and polymers. In addition to this broad range of molecular products, fibers and particles fractionated from the lignocellulosic biomass are increasingly used to elaborate bio-based composite materials.
Overall, this Research Topic aims to illustrate how complementary approaches are relevant to address questions regarding the deconstruction of lignocellulose and the processes required to turn them into valuable bio-based and renewable products. Articles are thus welcomed in the field of techniques investigating lignocellulose complexity, the different routes using chemical and/or physical processes to fractionate lignocellulose, as well as which chemicals and materials can be obtained from lignocellulose.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
